Fast Attack Craft (FAC)
E2. Naval, defence and maritime law enforcementDefinition
Small missile/gun craft for littoral combat.
A small, fast surface combatant, usually 200 to 600 tonnes, armed with anti-ship missiles, torpedoes, or a medium gun for littoral strike and sea denial. FACs trade range, endurance, and air defense for speed (often 30 to 40 knots) and a heavy weapon load on a cheap hull. The Israeli Sa’ar-class sinking of Syrian craft at the 1973 Battle of Latakia, the first combat use of ship-launched anti-ship missiles by both sides, shaped modern FAC doctrine. Missile-armed types are also called missile boats.
Source: Naval ship-type designation; Battle of Latakia, 6 to 7 October 1973 (first ship-to-ship anti-ship missile combat).